Outline Of Need:
The Lake  Odessa Community Library opened in January of 1987. The original building was 1,500 square feet and in response to high usage from local residents, the library moved to its current 3,800 square foot location in 1998.

Since then, demand for library services has continued to grow.  In addition to providing books, rural libraries often serve as the focal point for the community, offering space for meetings, classes and providing high-speed internet access for residents who would otherwise be unable to obtain it.

With the current facility unable to meet growing needs and local funds limited, Lake Odessa Community Library needed a partner to help finance their expansion project.

How Rural Development Helped:
USDA Rural Development approved the Lake Odessa Community Library for a $700,000 Community Facility Direct Loan. A local capital campaign for the  expansion raised another $350,000. This funding will be used to double the size of the facility.

The  Results:
The renovated and expanded library will offer something for everyone. With additional space, patrons will enjoy comfortable seating for quiet reading and personal technology use. Teens will benefit from resources that support their academic and personal growth in their own area. More children will  have access to the library’s wide variety of programs and activities in an enclosed meeting/program room-without distracting patrons.

Additional technology stations will offer more space to accommodate more patrons looking for jobs, researching, emailing or just looking online.

Designated space will accommodate more programs without interfering with other patrons’ use of the library and will encourage greater participation by all ages. Increased shelf space will handle both the current collection and future additions.

The Library of the past was a place of books and casual reading. Today’s library respects the traditions of the past and also looks to the future as a center for study, research, lifelong learning, employment resources, early child development, communications and community.

The groundbreaking for this expansion project was in August of 2014.